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Top Team Building Activities Part Three

Team-building activities give students a chance to learn personal information about each other. Students are then able to establish a certain amount of rapport and are more tolerant of each other. This creates a situation in which students are willing to work through situations in a more amicable way.

When students come together in team-building activities, it results in more ideas from everyone involved. There is more participation. An organisation can improve certain processes and procedures when everyone cares about and is a part of the outcome.

Hustle Handle

Equipment: Stopwatch

Description: The group stands in a circle. This can be played inside or outside. The aim of the game is to go around the circle and have everyone say his or her name, one after the other. Time the event with a stopwatch. Repeat the activity again to see if the group can get faster in saying their names around in the circle. If two people say their name at the same time go back to the start. Variations you can introduce to make the activity more challenging: Start the name sequence to the left and right around the circle simultaneously. Instead of using names try counting to 25 with each person only allowed to say one number. Students are not allowed to talk or point. This is very funny. If two students say the same number at the same time then you have to start again.

Amazon River

Equipment: Two large skipping ropes (banks of the river). Novelty toys, bean bags, spots, cones (for the piranhas) and two sit-up mats per team.

Description: Works best with about seven or eight students per team. Set up a designated area to be the ‘Amazon River’ and clearly mark this area – about 1/3 of a netball court. Fill it with novelty toys and/or spots and bean bags. These are the dangerous piranhas, which will eat you if you fall in! Depending on student numbers, you can divide the class into teams, or all work together. The aim is to get your whole team from one side of the Amazon River to the other, without losing any team members – walking around the river is not an option as it is so big (use imagination and creativity). Players are given two sit-up sized mats each to assist them with this. If a team member makes contact with the Amazon River, the whole team must start again. The first team to successfully get all their team members to the other side of the bank wins. There are no other rules; students are encouraged to think outside the square with this activity. Here are some great questions to ask the class when they have finished. What helped you succeed? What hindered or got in the way of you getting everyone across the river? Ensure you have already spoken to students about pointing the blame. For example, comments like “No-one was really listening to each other” are acceptable but statements such as “Aaron wouldn’t listen to my idea and then he stuffed it up anyway” are not allowed!

Variations you can introduce to make the activity more challenging: Blindfold certain students. Decrease or increase the number/size of the mats given to each team depending on class ability. Allocate different roles within the group (i.e. decision maker, supporter, ideas person and experimenter).

Human knot

Equipment: None

Description: All players stand in a circle with their shoulders touching. Stretch both hands out into the centre of the circle. Each person is to grasp somebody else’s hand, a different person for each hand. The group must work together to try and untangle themselves without letting go of any hands. Variations you can introduce to make the activity more challenging is to have a time limit, try to complete without talking and only allow one person to talk.

Booop

Equipment: Balloons

Description: This activity works best inside where there is little wind. Groups of three to five link hands in a circle; there is one balloon per group. Aim is to work together to keep the balloon in the air by using any body parts, and while keeping arms linked. Progression: Head then hands on alternative hits. Create a sequence of places that it has to get hit by. Include an extra balloon.

All aboard

Equipment: Mat or markers

Description: Have size of square dependent on number of students participating. The aim is to get all the students on the square. Do not leave anyone behind; if any students have been in the square and they place a body part out of the square the whole group must start again.